Paris pledged to tackle pollution in the River Seine after a swimming competition was cancelled in the waterway that’s due to host events during the 2024 Summer Olympics.
(Bloomberg) — Paris pledged to tackle pollution in the River Seine after a swimming competition was cancelled in the waterway that’s due to host events during the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Heavy rainfall increased pollution in the Seine in the past week and efforts will be made to improve water quality in the coming months and to manage “exceptional” weather events, the City of Paris and Paris 2024 said in an emailed statement on Sunday. World Aquatics had to cancel its Open Water Swimming World Cup this weekend due to substandard water quality after the rains.
With less than a year to go until the 2024 Olympics, Paris is coming under increased scrutiny amid concern the French capital may be under-prepared for an event that’s set to draw thousands of spectators and athletes. Plans to host the opening ceremony in the heart of the city and certain competitions in tourist locations pose particular security risks. Triathlon and marathon swimming is due to take place in the Seine, against the backdrop of the Alexandre III bridge and the nearby Grand Palais.
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Officials have brushed away those concerns. By 2024, new infrastructure improving water treatment in rainy weather will be up and running, according to the statement from the City of Paris and the organizing committee. Those plans include a storage basin the size of 20 Olympic swimming pools intended to stop wastewater from spilling into the Seine during heavy rains, they said.
Paris isn’t alone in suffering from poor water quality. In the UK, at least 57 people fell ill after competing in sea swimming events in Sunderland, the Guardian reported on Saturday. The UK Health Security Agency said it would test those sickened to establish the cause. About 2,000 people participated to the event, according to the report.
Extreme weather events — from torrential rains and winds to record high temperatures — are increasingly the norm in Europe, offering no guarantees of an easy summer in Paris next year. The luxury juggernaut LVMH, pharma company Sanofi and Air France, part of Air France-KLM, are just some of the 2024 Olympic sponsors.
“It is clear that further work is needed with Paris 2024 and local authorities to ensure robust contingency plans are in place for next year,” World Aquatics said on its website.
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